Signature Theatre Hosts The Hunt, Opens 8/23

Do you know your haunted city? Washington is a ghostly town, famous for its many hidden treasures and mystifying secrets that lie concealed beneath the pavement and throughout its historic monuments. Now it is time to explore the unknown as Virginia's Signature Theatre is hosting a detective-themed scavenger hunt, in celebration of its two world premiere musicals - The Hollow and The Boy Detective Fails - opening in rotating repertory on August 23rd and launching the new 2011-12 season. "The Hunt' will take place rain or shine on Saturday, August 27th from 10am - 1pm throughout Washington, DC. Promotional partners of the scavenger hunt include The National Theatre, The National Building Museum, Cheesetique, and PostPoints.
With "The Hunt," Signature is sending the public-at-large on a mysterious mission, should they choose to accept it. Billy Argo, famous "boy detective," has gone missing and it is up to each team to race against the clock and find him. Teams must decipher clues along the way, rendezvous with contacts and access special code words in a race to finding Billy Argo - wherever he may be.

Participating teams must include up to four people (at least one of whom must be 18 years or older). To register, teams must email hunt@signature-theatre.org by Friday, August 26th at 5:00pm and include the team name. In addition, contact information for each team member (name, email and phone number) is required in case of emergency. Participants will receive liability waivers - to be completed and brought to the sign-in table on the day of the hunt. Once registered, teams will be emailed their very first clue!

The winning detective team will win the Grand Prize -- 4 tickets to Signature Theatre's production of The Boy Detective Fails, four tickets to see The Hollow, a Signature Theatre prize package, a $50 gift certificate to Cheestique and ghost tours with the National Building Museum and Washington Walks. If the Grand Prize winner is a member of PostPoints, the prize will also include four tickets to Jersey Boys at The National Theatre and get to meet the director of The Hollow.
The two running up teams will each receive 4 tickets to The Boy Detective Fails and The Hollow.

Every participant of "The Hunt" will win a 20% discount to Signature Theatre's production of The Boy Detective Fails and The Hollow. PostPoints members will receive a special 35% discount and double points at Signature. PostPoints members must mention that they are a member when registering to get the 35% discount and be eligible for the Jersey Boys tickets and meet the director of The Hollow.

ABOUT THE HOLLOW AND THE BOY DETECTIVE FAILS

The Hollow is a distinctive reinterpretation of Washington Irving's classic tale Sleepy Hollow as created by Hunter Foster and Matt Conner. In a devout 18th century village, a mysterious stranger begins spreading radical new ideas. However, when rumors spread of a headless horseman murdering friends and neighbors, the quiet town blames the outsider for the demonic curse. Following Nevermore and Partial Eclipse, this is Conner's third musical composition production at Signature Theatre.

The Boy Detective Fails is based on the popular Joe Meno novel of the same name. In the twilight of a childhood full of wonder, Billy Argo, "boy detective," is brokenhearted to discover his young sister and crime-solving partner, Caroline, has committed suicide. Ten years later, Billy, age thirty, returns from an extended stay at St. Vitus' Hospital for the Mentally Ill to discover a world full of unimaginable strangeness, beauty, and love. The music and lyrics are composed by Adam Gwon, with a book by Joe Meno.

REPERTORY SERIES TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for The Hollow and The Boy Detective Fails range from $67 - $81 and are available by calling Ticketmaster at (703) 573-SEAT (7328) or the Signature Box Office at (703) 820-9771. Group discounts are available by contacting tickets@signature-theatre.org. Performance dates for The Boy Detective Fails are August 23 - October 16, 2011. The Hollow runs from August 25 - October 16, 2011. To check the rotating repertory performance schedule and for ticket information, please visit www.signature-theatre.org.

ABOUT Signature Theatre

Recipient of the 2009 Regional Theatre Tony Award®, Signature Theatre is a non-profit professional theater company in Arlington, Virginia dedicated to producing contemporary musicals and plays, reinventing classic musicals, and developing new work. Under the leadership of co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer and Managing Director Maggie Boland, Signature has presented 32 world premiere productions and is renowned for combining Broadway-quality productions with intimate playing spaces.
In addition to hosting the finest talent from the DC metropolitan area and New York, Signature has been home to such theatre luminaries as Chita Rivera, George Hearn, Hunter Foster, Emily Skinner, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Cameron Mackintosh, Terrence McNally, and the company's signature composer, Stephen Sondheim. Since its founding in 1989, Signature has won 72 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in the Washington, DC region's professional theater and has been honored with 293 nominations.
Signature is partially supported by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts and by a gift from Arlington County through the Arlington Commission for the Arts and the Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources.

ABOUT ‘THE HUNT' PARTNERS

The National Theatre

The National Theatre was originally constructed in 1835 and is one of Washington's most historic theatres. George Washington Parke Custis, George Washington's adopted grandson, was the first American playwright produced on its stage, and his son-in-law, Robert E. Lee was an original shareholder. In its 176 year history, every major star of the American theatre has performed here including Jenny Lind, Joseph Jefferson, Katherine Hepburn, Noel Coward, Angela Lansbury, and Washington's own Chita Rivera and Helen Hayes. The theatre has presented many pre-Broadway engagements of classic American musicals; the musicals Show Boat and West Side Story had their world premieres on the National's stage.
The National Building Museum

Visit the National Building Museum to delve into the stories of architecture, engineering, and design. Its America's leading cultural institution for the building arts and has exhibitions such as world-famous buildings made entirely of LEGO® bricks. Changing exhibitions have included cutting-edge "green" architecture and America's World's Fairs of the 1930s.

Cheesetique

Cheesetique has two complementary personalities. We are a gourmet cheese boutique specializing in hard-to-find selections from around the world. We also offer our Cheese & Wine Bar, a cheese-centric restaurant with extensive hot and cold selections, a full wine and beer list, and of course some of the best cheeses and meats available anywhere. Opening in Shirlington at 4056 Campbell Avenue this Autumn. Till then, visit our flagship location at 2411 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria. On the web at www.cheesetique.com.

PostPoints

PostPoints is the reader rewards program from The Washington Post. Members get discounts, invitations to special events and more. Joining is free at washingtonpost.com/postpoints.

DIRECTIONS

Signature Theatre is located at 4200 Campbell Avenue (22206) off I-395 at the Shirlington exit. After the exit, blue Signature signs mark the way to the theatre. Free parking is available in two adjacent garages. Please note that Campbell Avenue is a new street and some GPS online mapping systems do not yet recognize Signature's address. For directions visit http://signaturetheatre.org/map.htm.